Emmy nominations: British and US stars' reactions

Ricky Gervais, Downton Abbey star Jim Carter and others have been responding to receiving Emmy nominations - or, in some cases, to being overlooked, the BBC reports.

Gervais tweeted that he was "over the moon" to be recognised for his Channel 4 comedy Derek, while Carter said he was "thrilled and delighted".

Carter's co-star Joanne Froggatt said she was "humbled" by her own citation.

Yet Lee Daniels, creator of Empire, has expressed disappointment at his hit show only receiving three nominations.

The director of Precious and The Butler posted a strongly-worded video on Instagram appearing to take aim at members of the Television Academy, organisers of the annual awards ceremony.

The show's only nomination in the acting categories was for Taraji P Henson, for outstanding lead actress in a drama.

Daniels has since released a new message suggesting he was "just having fun".

Five-time Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus responded to her latest nomination in the voice of her latest character, Veep's Selina Meyer.

"As President, my staff and I are too busy doing the people's business to watch television," said the ex-Seinfeld star, who has now won three Emmys for Armando Iannucci's political satire.
"Nonetheless, we are thrilled to be a part of this celebration of creativity."

The actress finished her statement with the words "Go Jon Hamm!" - a reference to the Mad Man star's nomination for outstanding lead actor in a drama series.

The actor, who plays ad man Don Draper in the critically acclaimed series which has just come to an end, has been nominated for the award every year since 2008 but has yet to win.

Hamm's cast-mate Elisabeth Moss called her nomination for the lead actress in a drama award "the most amazing surprise" and "incredibly humbling".

Viola Davis, meanwhile, said "it would be great to bust through and make history" by becoming the first black actress to claim the lead actress in a drama prize.

The How to Get Away with Murder star is one of two African-Americans up for the award, the other being Henson for Empire.

Emilia Clarke, up for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series, said it felt "bloody amazing" to be nominated alongside her Game of Thrones co-star Lena Headey.

"To finally have two of us in a category, two women, it's very cool," said Headey, adding that she had learned about her own nomination on Thursday morning after being kept up all night by her new baby daughter.

"My new baby's been awake all night, so I feel like she may have known something I didn't," the British actress told Variety.

Game of Thrones is up for 24 nominations in all, five more than its nearest competitor, American Horror Story: Freak Show.

David Oyelowo, who missed out on an Oscar nomination last year for Selma, said it was "incredibly gratifying" to be nominated for lead actor in a limited series or TV movie for HBO drama Nightingale.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, meanwhile, said she was hoping to have "a glass of champagne or some tequila" to celebrate being recognised for her role in BBC series The Honourable Woman.

"I will celebrate by jumping up and down at every alley and every step of the way in Paramount Studios," said Transparent star Jeffrey Tambor when asked how he would mark his inclusion in the lead actor in a comedy series.

"I will make a spectacle of myself," he continued.

Jane Krakowski, meanwhile, said her supporting actress nomination for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt would give her "motivation to stay on [her] diet".

"When I got the call that I received a nomination, I thought I was being Punk'd," she told the Hollywood Reporter. "My heart has not settled down."

This year's Emmy awards ceremony, hosted by Saturday Night Live star Andy Samberg, will be held in Los Angeles on 20 September.